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Local firms can get share of £27m library project

obs boost – an artist’s impression of the Forum planned for Farringdon Road obs boost – an artist’s impression of the Forum planned for Farringdon Road

A BUILDING firm is promising a jobs boom as it uses local suppliers and workers to help build the new £27million library in Southend.

Wates Construction, based in Leatherhead, Surrey, has been awarded the contract to build the Forum, a library and education centre for South Essex College and the University of Essex in the town centre.

The firm has promised to source up to 75 per cent of its suppliers for the project from within a 50-mile radius of Southend while it is also looking to take on a number of apprentices and work experience placements.

These placements will be given out to pupils from South-end with an award scheme also being held as part of the project.

A number of builders based near Southend have already been consulted by Wates to help build the Forum.

A spokesman for Wates said: “We have already targeted subcontractors within Essex and the local area during the bid stage. We would hope to use those already targeted sub-contractors for the project.

“Wates has had great success in recent years working with and offering planned and meaningful work experience placements which it intends to continue with both South Essex College and local secondary school pupils.

“Wates will implement its Business in the Community award-winning work experience programme, but aligned to the wants of the local pupils.”

The company also stated it will be consulting local groups to organise a series of community days in September. The Forum is expected to be built by August next year.

Derek Jarvis, Southend councillor responsible for culture, said: “This is a really exciting project which will be fantastic for residents, students and visitors to the town.”

Other facilities inside the building will include an art gallery and a cafe.

Southend Council has stumped up £12.5million for the project, the University of Essex will pay £10.4million, while South Essex College is to contribute £4million.

Comments(13)

emcee says...
4:07pm Sun 12 Feb 12

Quote: “...it is also looking to take on a number of apprentices and work experience placements.
These placements will be given out to pupils from South-end with an award scheme also being held as part of the project. "
-
Hardly a "jobs boom" then is it. Offering real jobs to the real unemployed, including the over 40s, is more of jobs boom than a dressed up work experience scheme. This sort of rubbish journalism really annoys me.

jolllyboy says...
4:18pm Sun 12 Feb 12

Lets hope that as the town wants to have a City status it will do the decent thing and put new machines in the local history section so that people can research properly. It is no good showing old machines in the echo - we know they are old things.

ADucksQuack says...
4:18pm Sun 12 Feb 12

What's the betting top of the list to cash in will be 'that' roads company which is so favoured by SBC?

Max Impact says...
4:52pm Sun 12 Feb 12

jolllyboy wrote:
Lets hope that as the town wants to have a City status it will do the decent thing and put new machines in the local history section so that people can research properly. It is no good showing old machines in the echo - we know they are old things.
WFT are you babling on about what machines, combines? or is it computers you are on about.

I have never called a computer a machine plenty of other things that if posted on here would end up being censored big time! but never a machine.

clairella says...
10:16pm Sun 12 Feb 12

emcee wrote:
Quote: “...it is also looking to take on a number of apprentices and work experience placements.
These placements will be given out to pupils from South-end with an award scheme also being held as part of the project. "
-
Hardly a "jobs boom" then is it. Offering real jobs to the real unemployed, including the over 40s, is more of jobs boom than a dressed up work experience scheme. This sort of rubbish journalism really annoys me.
Well it's better than nothing!!
And who says they won't offer other employment.....
Why must u sound so negative emcee......just think about the lovely new library :-)

perini says...
11:36pm Sun 12 Feb 12

clairella wrote:
emcee wrote:
Quote: “...it is also looking to take on a number of apprentices and work experience placements.
These placements will be given out to pupils from South-end with an award scheme also being held as part of the project. "
-
Hardly a "jobs boom" then is it. Offering real jobs to the real unemployed, including the over 40s, is more of jobs boom than a dressed up work experience scheme. This sort of rubbish journalism really annoys me.
Well it's better than nothing!!
And who says they won't offer other employment.....
Why must u sound so negative emcee......just think about the lovely new library :-)
Yes a brand new library costing 27 million - what a complete and utter waste of OUR money when the current one is perfectly ok! I do so hope that someone stumbles onto where the brown envelopes went.

clairella says...
9:38am Mon 13 Feb 12

perini wrote:
clairella wrote:
emcee wrote:
Quote: “...it is also looking to take on a number of apprentices and work experience placements.
These placements will be given out to pupils from South-end with an award scheme also being held as part of the project. "
-
Hardly a "jobs boom" then is it. Offering real jobs to the real unemployed, including the over 40s, is more of jobs boom than a dressed up work experience scheme. This sort of rubbish journalism really annoys me.
Well it's better than nothing!!
And who says they won't offer other employment.....
Why must u sound so negative emcee......just think about the lovely new library :-)
Yes a brand new library costing 27 million - what a complete and utter waste of OUR money when the current one is perfectly ok! I do so hope that someone stumbles onto where the brown envelopes went.
Sorry perini but I have to disagree...
the current library is NOT perfectly ok.

perini says...
12:26pm Mon 13 Feb 12

clairella wrote:
perini wrote:
clairella wrote:
emcee wrote: Quote: “...it is also looking to take on a number of apprentices and work experience placements. These placements will be given out to pupils from South-end with an award scheme also being held as part of the project. " - Hardly a "jobs boom" then is it. Offering real jobs to the real unemployed, including the over 40s, is more of jobs boom than a dressed up work experience scheme. This sort of rubbish journalism really annoys me.
Well it's better than nothing!! And who says they won't offer other employment..... Why must u sound so negative emcee......just think about the lovely new library :-)
Yes a brand new library costing 27 million - what a complete and utter waste of OUR money when the current one is perfectly ok! I do so hope that someone stumbles onto where the brown envelopes went.
Sorry perini but I have to disagree... the current library is NOT perfectly ok.
I'm sure that whatever is wrong with it could be corrected for a lot less than 27 million!

southendreb says...
1:25pm Mon 13 Feb 12

clairella wrote:
perini wrote:
clairella wrote:
emcee wrote: Quote: “...it is also looking to take on a number of apprentices and work experience placements. These placements will be given out to pupils from South-end with an award scheme also being held as part of the project. " - Hardly a "jobs boom" then is it. Offering real jobs to the real unemployed, including the over 40s, is more of jobs boom than a dressed up work experience scheme. This sort of rubbish journalism really annoys me.
Well it's better than nothing!! And who says they won't offer other employment..... Why must u sound so negative emcee......just think about the lovely new library :-)
Yes a brand new library costing 27 million - what a complete and utter waste of OUR money when the current one is perfectly ok! I do so hope that someone stumbles onto where the brown envelopes went.
Sorry perini but I have to disagree... the current library is NOT perfectly ok.
Perhaps you can clarify just what is wrong then. Remember we will only get 20 per cent extra space of library for the 12 million. The college and uni can get any book within 24 hours and as a lot of books are being converted to E books its computers we need. Have we got a budget to buy more books anyway..

Max Impact says...
1:43pm Mon 13 Feb 12

I seem to recall readinf somewhere that there are issues with the roof of the current building it needs stripping off and completely replacing, also disabled access is limited as is space for new facilitys.

If your not happy that a new library is going to be built don't use it, it's that simple.

southendreb says...
4:09pm Mon 13 Feb 12

Thats a silly answer Max why should i not use it . It may be news to you but much of the country is short of pennies and indeed we have laid of some library workers.What new Faccilitys are going to be put in there that are not already available in the town at the moment. Just how many new people will it atract in the town..

southendreb says...
4:15pm Mon 13 Feb 12

I spoke in great depth to the person who is overseeing this project. No mention was made of the roof.

clairella says...
6:05pm Tue 14 Feb 12

Lots of problems with the library building. If u have visited the library recently since the current cold snap u will be aware just how cold the ground floor is.
I don't know where u have your information from southendreb but none of the library staff have been 'laid off'. Some staff members have had hours reduced.

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